Metabolic Syndrome…

It is the new buzzword, and now that we know what it is and how and why it happens, this is going to get out there into the mainstream pretty quickly, mainly because if you’re overweight, there is a good chance you have it. So included is a good article about the percentage of Americans that likely have it. In the past, I’ve included a great video done by Dr. McGuff who really draws out the science on how it looks, at the molecular and cellular level. I’ve again included the two parts in his lecture that best describes the science of your metabolism and I cannot stress enough the importance of watching it. But to put it into layman’s terms, here is what it is: You keep trying to put gas into an already-full gas tank. Or even better, your engine’s flooded and won’t turn over, so all this extra gas (junk food) has to go somewhere, so you get fatter and your body is basically in starvation mode, because it is overwhelmed with so much that the system is basically broken. Another great visual would be the Lucy episode when she’s working the assembly line. She can’t keep up, the line gets backed up, and a huge mess forms as a result. Wow, Glenn, this sounds terrible! This is clearly not good for our bodies. How can we fix metabolic syndrome? I’m so glad you asked. We have this great prescription for you that you just have to ask your doctor about. It’s called get off your fat ass and move! Forgive the language, and although comparing exercise to prescription medicine is not entirely accurate, in this case, the best way to get the fuel lines flowing correctly is to rev that engine! Get the spark, get yourself fired up, and get those muscles working hard! When this happens, you will deplete the glycogen stores in the muscle, and that will get the mitochondria firing more normally. Also, quit trying to fill your gas tank with bad gasoline. Only the high octane stuff will do for your body! That means lots of vegetables, sources of protein and healthy fat, like nuts and coconut and fatty fish like wild salmon. No high fructose corn syrup! It is really bad for your body. Fructose is also a sneaky little molecule, as Dr. McGuff illustrates, that when your system is backed up and having trouble, it can bypass the whole Krebs cycle and go straight to the fat cells. Ouch! That’s not what we want! Everything we ingest we want going to the muscle first; only when the muscles are full, and don’t need it, will we let the extra calories then go to the fat cell. But that won’t be a concern anymore either, because you’re going to be more active. High intensity lifting once a week and being active the other days, you won’t have that problem anymore.

The last visual I will include is referenced in the videos. If you think of Metabolic Syndrome as an over flowing bath tub, you can then see how a good diet, following basic Paleo guidelines, will help turn off the spigot. High intensity training is the removal of the drain plug.

Once you get moving and get the system flowing, you can really improve your metabolic conditioning and say goodbye to “Metabolic Syndrome.”